"A Sleight Of Hand ": Another Reader Writes To PMFA Regarding Hannah Senesh Expansion

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"Pardon me for asking, but I can't help wondering why the Board of Directors of Hannah Senesh would spend several years planning and millions of dollars buying and constructing a facility which did not meet their needs and which they outgrew in less than a year."
From the post Bill De Blasio Courtyard Caper Delayed

Dear Katia,

As soon as I heard what Carroll Gardens was facing I was very upset.

The layout of the front gardens of Carroll Gardens is one of the architectural jewels of the Old City of Brooklyn. The Old City of Brooklyn, what we have come to call "Brownstone Brooklyn", is the finest and largest collection of intact residential architecture of the 19th century, and in my opinion should be a UNESCO world heritage site.

That aside, the situation you refer to smacks of politics and money. It doesn't take a tremendous amount of foresight to realize the financial potential of the location. It is very close to transportation, and in a lovely neighborhood. If the school were to declare itself not in need of the property in the future, a large residential building could be erected.

A little bit more of political slight of hand, like politically connected Ken Fisher helping this group acquire a publicly owned property and politician Bill deBlasio taking more publicly owned land, could undo height restrictions.

After achieving these maneuvers, how hard would it be to move again to construct a huge tower on the enlarged footprint, with views of the harbor and an improved Gowanus Canal?

Actually, we should consider the move to steal the garden to be a gift. It alerts us to the long term plan that this group seems to be hatching.

Now is the time to stop them in their tracks and push for legislation that would prevent the site from being used for anything other than a school or other legitimate, non-profit use in the future.

That would be fun...seeing the disproportionate howls of protest from the group that is using it as a school (for the time being)........

Mitch

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